Title: Monitoring environment, health and perception. An experimental survey on health and environment in Flanders, Belgium

Authors: Hans Keune, Ilse Loots, Liesbeth Bruckers, Maaike Bilau, Gudrun Koppen, Nik Van Larebeke, Greet Schoeters, Vera Nelen, Willy Baeyens

Addresses: Department of Sociology, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Sint Jacobstraat 2, B-2000 Antwerpen, Belgium. ' Department of Sociology, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Sint Jacobstraat 2, B-2000 Antwerpen, Belgium. ' Center for Statistics, University Hasselt, Agoralaan 1, Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. ' Department of Public Health, Ghent University Belgium, University Hospital, 2 Blok A, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. ' Environmental Toxicology – Environment and Health, Flemish Institute of Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, B-2400 MOL, Belgium. ' Study Centre for Carcinogenesis and Primary Prevention of Cancer, Department of Radiotherapy, Nuclear Medicine and Experimental Oncology, University of Ghent-Belgium, Universitair Ziekenhuis 3K3, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. ' Environmental Toxicology – Environment and Health, Flemish Institute of Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, B-2400 MOL, Belgium. ' Provincial Institute for Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium. ' Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, VUB (Free University of Brussels), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract: The Centre of Expertise for Health and Environment started a biomonitoring campaign at the end of 2001, in Flanders (Belgium). The main purpose of this project, funded by the Flemish government, is to investigate the relationship between environmental pollution and human health. This is done by measuring pollutants and health effects in human beings. Social scientists cooperating with the environmental and health experts proposed to include a questionnaire on risk perception related to environment and health. Taking into account, risk perception is important with regard to risk communication, risk assessment and the management of complex issues such as health and environment. We present the results of our survey of 1,165 mothers of newborn babies, who participated in the first campaign of the biomonitoring. The perception research discussed in this paper can be evaluated as a successful experiment, with potential for further development and use.

Keywords: biomonitoring; interdisciplinarity; knowledge integration; participation; risk communication; risk perception; survey; transdisciplinarity; trust; Belgium; environmental pollution; human health; risk assessment; newborn babies; mothers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2008.017262

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2008 Vol.8 No.1/2, pp.90 - 111

Published online: 21 Feb 2008 *

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